Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (now Planned Parenthood of North Central States) is an affiliate of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ¹ It provided abortion and other services to Iowa and eastern Nebraska. In 2018, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland merged with Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota to create a new organization: Planned Parenthood North Central States. ²

Prior to its merging with Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland was a 10-center Planned Parenthood affiliate with locations in Nebraska and Iowa. It grossed $25,422,662 in 2017. ³

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland still maintains its website, which is the main website for Planned Parenthood of North Central States. Its mission is “to provide, promote and protect sexual reproductive health through health services, education and advocacy.”⁴ It was formally founded in 2009 after going through several names and affiliation partnerships over the previous several decades.

Centers and Services

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland’s locations are found in Ames,⁵ Cedar Falls,⁶ Cedar Rapids,⁷ Council Bluffs,⁸ three locations in Des Moines (one of which is technically in Urbandale), ^{9 10 11} and Iowa City in Iowa. ¹² Its two Nebraska locations are in Lincoln South¹³ and Omaha. ¹⁴

The 10 centers offer many of the same products and services, such as sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, “LGBT Services,” and birth control. There is variation in abortion provision — several centers offer in-house abortions while most offer medication abortions.

Two of the Des Moines locations and the Cedar Rapids location do not offer medication or surgical abortions. Their websites note that they offer abortion referrals.

State Defunding and Center Closures

In 2017, then-Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R) and Iowa legislators gave up $3 million in federal funding which had gone to Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. Lawmakers did not want abortion providers receiving family planning dollars.

The loss of funds led to the closure of four Planned Parenthood centers in Iowa later that year. ¹⁵

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) supported defunding Planned Parenthood. She was accused by a former leader of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and its allies in the state of hypocrisy¹⁶ when in 2018 she endorsed over-the-counter access to birth control after opponents blamed the defunding effort for a 73 percent reduction in birth control and “family planning” services. ¹⁷

Whistleblower Lawsuit

Sue Thayer was a Planned Parenthood center manager in Iowa who filed a whistleblower lawsuit in 2011 with support from the social-conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) against Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. ¹⁸ Thayer claimed that the center had committed Medicaid fraud in violation of federal and state laws by overcharging for Medicaid reimbursement requests.

Thayer’s lawsuit was dismissed in 2012 for lack of specificity because, while she claimed $28 million in fraud was committed from 2006 to 2008, she failed to make a claim of specific instance of fraud. The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially reinstated Thayer’s case in 2014 and sent the case back to a lower court for further consideration. The Appeals Court concluded that Thayer did not have to provide the level of specificity which the lower court demanded. ¹⁹

The case was re-heard in July 2018 and is awaiting decision by a district court.

Medicaid fraud was not the only issue which Thayer had with Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. Thayer, who became a 40 Days for Life organizer, told pro-life activists in 2011 that she always opposed abortion and worked at Planned Parenthood centers which did not provide abortions. When so-called “tele-med” abortions became available, and Thayer’s location was required to participate, Thayer says she complained to her superiors and was let go from the company. ²⁰

According to Thayer, she was told that tele-med abortions were more profitable for Planned Parenthood. Though tele-med abortions were banned in Iowa in 2014, abortion advocates publicly said that these abortions helped women have greater access to abortion because they didn’t have to travel to an abortion facility. The Iowa Supreme Court overturned the ban in 2015. ²¹

Thayer later told Live Action that Planned Parenthood of the Heartland endorsed abortion quotas and provided rewards for exceeding those quotas. Left-leaning fact-checker Snopes concluded that Thayer’s quota claim was “unproven.”²²

Nebraska Audit

A 2016 audit by the state of Nebraska concluded that Planned Parenthood of the Heartland illegally used at least $3,500 in taxpayer money in 2015. The audit was part of a statewide review of state agencies which receive $500,000 or more from the federal government, according to a state lawmaker who backed the audit’s findings. ²³

Planned Parenthood said the issue was one of error, not intention, and that miscoding had resulted in the funds being perceived as misused. The audit examined two months’ worth of spending by Planned Parenthood. The organization spent $317,000 in that time, over half of which was private money.

The audit results were turned over to a regional HHS office for follow-up.

Litigation

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland sued to overturn the ban on tele-med abortions in Iowa, winning at the Iowa Supreme Court. The group also sued to overturn a 72-hour waiting period with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union. The state Supreme Court ruled against the waiting period in June 2018. ²⁴ The Court ruled that the 2017 waiting period requirement was an undue burden on low-income women who would have to travel multiple times to an abortion center to procure an abortion. ²⁴

Both Supreme Court decisions overturned support for the bans by a lower court judge.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland also successfully filed a lawsuit against a so-called “heartbeat bill” which would ban most abortions after a heartbeat is detected, at around six weeks’ gestation; the law would be the most restrictive abortion measure passed in the U.S. ²⁵ The decision against the heartbeat bill was made in January 2019 and may be appealed to the state Supreme Court. The county court ruling said that the ban was unconstitutional because the law violated “due process and equal protection” of the state constitution. ²⁵

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland also sued the Trump administration in 2018 in concert with eight other groups. ²⁶ The administration had cancelled a teen pregnancy prevention program which was initiated by the Obama administration in 2010. That cancellation was reversed in August after the administration lost five lawsuits. ²⁷

The federal Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) page about Planned Parenthood of the Heartland showed that as of January 5, 2017 the organization received$965,988 annually for unintended pregnancy reduction efforts. ²⁸

United Way Support

The conservative corporate watchdog 2ndVote published in 2018 research which showed that 62 United Way chapters funded local and regional Planned Parenthood affiliates. According to that research Planned Parenthood of the Heartland received a combined $14,093 from United Way East Central Iowa in 2014 and 2015. United Way of the Midlands in Nebraska provided a combined $45,833 to Planned Parenthood of the Heartland in 2013, 2014, and 2015. United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster in Nebraska provided a combined $13,160 in 2016 and 2017. ²⁹

United Way of Central Iowa has a dedicated Planned Parenthood of the Heartland page³⁰.

Leadership

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland’s most recent president was Suzanna de Baca. De Baca stepped into the role in 2014, replacing Jill June. June was president for over three decades. ³¹

De Baca’s departure was announced at the same time as the transition to Planned Parenthood of the North Central States took place. She officially departed on September 30, 2019.

As of July 1, 2018, Erin Davison-Rippey and Andi Curry Grubb were Executive Directors for Planned Parenthood in Iowa and Nebraska, respectively. Deputy State Directors are Jenna Knox for Iowa and Meg Mikolajczyk for Nebraska. ³²

1. Influence Watch, “Planned Parenthood Federation of America,” Accessed February 14, 2019 https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/planned-parenthood-federation-of-america/
2. Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, “Planned Parenthood announces new regional affiliate: Planned Parenthood North Central States,” May 22, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-minnesota-north-dakota-south-dakota/newsroom/planned-parenthood-announces-new-regional-affiliate-planned-parenthood-north-central-states
3. ProPublica, “Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc.” June 2017. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_audit/23148620171
4. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Our History,” Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-heartland/who-we-are/history
5. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Ames Center of Ames, IA,” Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa/ames/50014/ames-center-2385-90380
6. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Cedar Falls Center of Cedar Falls, IA,” Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa/cedar-falls/50613/cedar-falls-center-2866-90380
7. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Cedar Rapids Health Center of Cedar Rapids, IA,” Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa/cedar-rapids/52402/cedar-rapids-health-center-3969-90380
8. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Council Bluffs Health Center of Council Bluffs, IA,” Accessed February, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa/council-bluffs/51501/council-bluffs-health-center-3683-90380
9. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Susan Knapp Health Center of Des Moines, IA,” Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa/des-moines/50311/susan-knapp-health-center-3385-90380
10. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Rosenfield Center of Des Moines, IA,” Accessed February 14, 2019.

    https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa/des-moines/50315/rosenfield-center-2386-90380

11. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “West Health Center of Urbandale, IA,” Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa/urbandale/50322/west-health-center-2388-90380
12. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Iowa City Health Center of Iowa City, IA,” Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/iowa/iowa-city/52246/iowa-city-health-center-2470-90380
13. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Lincoln South Health Center of Lincoln, NE,” Accessed February 14, 2019.

    https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/nebraska/lincoln/68516/lincoln-south-health-center-4062-90380

14. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Northwest Health Center of Omaha, NE,” Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/nebraska/omaha/68134/northwest-health-center-2447-90380
15. William Petroski, “Planned Parenthood to close four Iowa clinics after legislative defunding,” May 18, 2017. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2017/05/18/planned-parenthood-close-four-iowa-clinics-after-legislative-defunding/330284001/
16. Michael DaSilva, “Democrats Accuse Governor Reynolds of Hypocrisy on Birth Control, Governor Says She Supports Increased Access,” October 22, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://whotv.com/2018/10/22/democrats-accuse-governor-reynolds-of-hypocrisy-on-birth-control-governor-says-she-supports-increased-access/
17. Tony Leys and Barbara Rodriguez, “State family planning services decline 73 percent in fiscal year as $2.5M goes unspent,” October 18, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2018/10/18/iowa-health-care-family-planning-contraception-services-planned-parenthood-abortion-medicaid/1660873002/
18. Alliance Defending Freedom, “Thayer v. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland,” Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.adflegal.org/detailspages/case-details/thayer-v.-planned-parenthood-of-the-heartland
19. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, “Susan Thayer v. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland,” August 29, 2014. Accessed February 14, 2019. http://www.adfmedia.org/files/ThayerOpinion.pdf
20. Peter Baklinski, “Planned Parenthood manager gets fired, then leads 40 Days campaign at former facility,” November 17, 2011. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/planned-parenthood-manager-gets-fired-then-leads-40-days-campaign-at-former
21. Tony Leys, “Iowa Supreme Court: Ban on telemed abortion unconstitutional,” June 19, 2015. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/19/iowa-supreme-court-approves-planned-parenthood-heartland-telemedicine-abortion-system/28973085/
22. Snopes, “Does Planned Parenthood Enforce ‘Abortion Quotas’?” February 10, 2017. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/planned-parenthood-abortion-quotas/
23. Joe Duggan, “Nebraska auditor: Planned Parenthood of the Heartland illegally used federal funds for abortions; group denies allegation,” April 4, 2016. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.kearneyhub.com/news/regional/nebraska-auditor-planned-parenthood-of-the-heartland-illegally-used-federal/article_2e74af0e-fa68-11e5-9dcd-277a71589e6e.html
24. Tony Leys and Stephen Gruber-Miller, “Iowa Supreme Court rejects 72-hour abortion waiting period requirement, says women have right to abortion,” June 29, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2018/06/29/abortion-iowa-supreme-court-planned-parenthood-72-hour-waiting-period-american-civil-liberties-union/745068002/
25. Michaela Ramm, “Judge declares fetal heartbeat law unconstitutional,” January 22, 2019. Accessed February 14, 2019.

    https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/fetal-hearbeat-bill-struck-down-iowa-law-abortion-planned-parenthood-polk-county-district-court-20190122

26. Andrew Nelson, “Planned Parenthood of the Heartland sues Trump administration over teen pregnancy program,” February 16, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.nonpareilonline.com/news/courts/planned-parenthood-of-the-heartland-sues-trump-administration-over-teen/article_c60f0528-1328-11e8-b30b-7fbf6574e895.html
27. Jessie Hellmann, “HHS backs off plan to cut funding for certain teen pregnancy prevention groups,” August 9, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/401087-hhs-to-resume-funding-groups-working-to-end-teen-pregnancy-after-court
28. HHS, Office of Adolescent Health, “Planned Parenthood of the Heartland,” January 5, 2017. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program-tpp/current-grantees/planned-parenthood-of-the-heartland/index.html
29. 2ndVote, “United Way Chapters,” August 29, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://2ndvote.com/united-way/
30. United Way Des Moines, “Planned Parenthood of the Heartland- Des Moines,” Accessed February 14, 2019. http://volunteer.unitedwaydm.org/agency/detail/?agency_id=34928
31. Tony Leys, “Planned Parenthood’s Iowa leader stepping down as chapter merges with Minnesota’s,” May 22, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2018/05/22/planned-parenthood-iowa-leader-stepping-down-amid-reorganization-abortion-minnesota/633977002/
32. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, “Planned Parenthood announces plan to grow mission in Iowa and Nebraska,” May 22, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-heartland/newsroom/planned-parenthood-announces-plan-to-grow-mission-in-iowa-and-nebraska